NBN opens up new online world to city resident

Stuart Cumming
Reporter
Stuart studied journalism at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba. He worked briefly at Central Queensland News and Warwick Daily News. He has worked as a reporter at The Chronicle since July 2009.

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NORTH Toowoomba resident Tina Dalby says being one of the city's first residents to connect to the National Broadband Network has opened up a new online world.

Dr Dalby and her husband had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to upgrade to the fibre network.

They had Telstra organise the changeover for them, with an NBN Co contractor connecting fibre cable to their house last Friday and a Telstra technician bringing the system online yesterday.

She said she was the first Toowoomba Telstra customer to have the network installed in her home.

"We now have access to different pages that were slow," Dr Dalby said.

She said zooming in on Google Earth maps had previously proved a frustratingly slow process.

"The computer just used to freeze up."

The soil scientist said fibre cable had also added clarity to phone calls.

"It is just a totally different sound now."

An NBN Co spokeswoman confirmed Dr Dalby's home was the 12th Toowoomba premises to connect to the fibre network.

Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for Southern Queensland Nigel Beaman said customers would be able to access emerging health, business and education services delivered over super-fast broadband.

"Toowoomba is one of the first areas in Queensland to get access to the NBN which means it's about to be one of the best-connected communities in the nation," Mr Beaman said.